He quarreled

Vladimir Putin on Saturday night handed Gerard Depardieu a Russian passport. According to Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, a brief meeting was held on Saturday evening in Sochi. "On the occasion of Department, the Russian passport was transferred to him in the Russian Federation," Peskov said.

According to the press secretary, at dinner Putin and his guest discussed the prospects of the Russian rental of the film "Rasputin", in which the department played a major role. In France, the premiere of the film Jose Diane, shot with the participation of VGTRK, took place at the end of last year. "Gerard, are you satisfied with this work?" Putin asked. “I am very pleased,” the department answered and listed Russian actors who were filming with him in Rasputin. A fragment of the conversation showed the channel "Russia 24". "During the conversation, the actor also told the president about his creative plans," Peskov said. The meeting was attended by the head of VGTRK Oleg Dobrodeev.

From Sochi, Depardieu went to Mordovia . At Saransk airport, he was met by folk songs and pancakes. Depardieu showed the assembled a Russian passport, and then examined the sights of the city. The head of the republic, Vladimir Volkov, suggested that Depardieu settle in Saransk. The actor was presented with the keys to the apartment in one of the new buildings of the city and promised to build a house for him in the forest on the banks of the Insar River. On Sunday evening, Depardieu will leave Russia.

On Thursday, Putin signed a decree on the provision of Russian citizenship. The actor on the same day confirmed that he himself asked to provide him with Russian citizenship. The actor said that he loves Vladimir Putin very much, considers Russia to be a "country of great democracy" and intends to learn Russian.

“I love your culture, your way of thinking,” wrote Depardieu in circulation of Russian journalists. “My father was a communist and listened to Radio Moscow at one time! This is also a part of my culture. It’s good to live in Russia. It’s not necessary in Moscow, which is too large for me. I prefer the village, I am familiar with wonderful places in Russia.”

Depardieu decided to move to Belgium in connection with the introduction of a 75 percent income tax for the rich. France Prime Minister Jean-Mark Airo called this decision of the actor "miserable and nonpatriotic." In response, Depardieu abandoned French citizenship.

On December 19, the Le Monde newspaper announced that recently, Depardieu has been considering options for moving to Belgium, Montenegro or Russia. In the company of close friends, the publication claimed, the actor joked that he had a house in Belgium, in Montenegro - friends and business, and from Russia he was "sent by Putin's passport." “If Gerard really wants to have a residence permit or a Russian passport, we will assume that this is a resolved issue,” Putin said at a press conference on December 20. At the same time, he expressed the hope that this would not affect Russian-French interstate relations.

On December 29, the Constitutional Council of France canceled the "rich man". The tax was not appropriate to the basic law itself, but the method of calculation. Depardieu said that the decision of the Constitutional Council would not affect its decision on emigration.

According to Le Monde, the head of the Belgian commission on naturalization warned that receiving the actor of Russian citizenship will be taken into account when considering his request to the authorities of the kingdom.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov welcomed the "pleasant news" about the new citizenship of Department. "I previously offered the Department to live in Grozny, if I receive citizenship. We will be glad!" - Kadyrov wrote on Twitter. On October 5 last year, along with the Ornella Muti and the stars of the Russian stage, Depardieu took part in the celebration of the Grozny Day and 36th anniversary of Kadyrov. "Glory to Grozny, Glory to Chechnya, Glory to Kadyrov!" - proclaimed Department from the stage.